Showdown: Fox News, Republican Party co-host August debate with Donald Trump and 2024 rivals
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WASHINGTON – The leader of the Republican National Committee said Wednesday that the party and Fox News will co-host the first GOP debate of the primary season this August in Milwaukee.
The debate is expected to be the first face-to-face meeting between former President Donald Trump and his campaign rivals; the guest list is not yet set because some possible contenders have not officially declared their candidacy.
The date of the debate has not been set.
"The next President of the United States will be on our debate stage, and we look forward to hosting a fair and transparent platform," said RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who made the announcement on the morning program "Fox & Friends."
The GOP picked Milwaukee as the site of the first debate because the Wisconsin city will host the party convention next year. The party did the same thing in the 2016 election cycle, producing a first debate in Cleveland a year before that city hosted the Republican National Convention.
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Who is running in 2024?
Trump, defeated for reelection in 2020, has announced that he will seek the White House again in 2024. He is running while under indictment, charged with false reporting of hush money payments to hide violations of campaign finance laws.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson have announced plans to seek the presidency.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is not expected to announce his candidacy until at least May.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott said Thursday he has created an exploratory committee for a potential 2024 campaign.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is also mulling a 2024 presidential campaign.
In announcing the sponsorship of Fox News, McDaniel said other debate partners include the Young America’s Foundation and the video platform Rumble.
The announcement also came as Fox News is embroiled in a defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems over news coverage of Trump's election protests in 2020.
Trump's legal position at the time of the August debate is unknowable.
In addition to the New York indictment, Trump remains under investigation in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta in cases involving the handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn his loss in Georgia to President Joe Biden.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fox News, GOP to co-host August debate with Trump, 2024 rivals
